Survivors of Romulus
by Klingon64
Summary: Two Romulan lovers, long-separated by the destruction of Romulus and Remus, find each other once again on Mol'Rihan - New Romulus. The place where all of those left homeless by the loss of the homeworld can find a new future in the new Romulan Republic. Gift story for my girlfriend. Characters - Taivek (me) and D'Rhina (Rebekah).
1. The Old Lost, the New Found

Survivors of Romulus

Chapter 1: The Old Lost, The New Found

**Hey, guys, I know it's been forever since I last posted any fanfics, but college life has been insanely busy. It'll be quite some time until I can get my _Phineas and Ferb_ fanfic-on-hiatus posted . Anyway, this story, like my previous one, _A Perfect Moment in Time_, is a gift story to my girlfriend, Rebekah. This time, however, we are Romulan survivors in the Star Trek Online time period who have finally settled down permanently on Dewa III – _Mol'Rihan_, or New Romulus. I am Taivek, and she is D'Rhina. I'm a bit out of practice with my writing fanfics specifically, but hopefully not in terms of eloquence. I'm not writing this story for reviews. This is for Rebekah, the brightest light to ever shine in my life.**

22 years ago, everything changed. The Romulan Star Empire was no more. Core worlds "blasted across cold, heartless skies", as D'Tan put it. Romulus, our home, was gone. Remus, home to our former slaves, was no longer to be seen, either. The Romulans and Remans, now equally-destitute, scavenging and searching endlessly for new worlds to colonize and find rest once more in. It is now 2409, and many of our old leaders have tried to reinstate the rule of fear we were once held under...the rule of the Tal Shiar, and the new, self-proclaimed Empress Sela. In the last days of our world, we had begun to embrace tolerance and understanding in schools and homes, and slowly in our government...all thanks to Ambassador Spock and his alliances with underground movements. Starfleet discovered that it was former Praetor Taris herself who induced the Hobus supernova that unnaturally traveled subspace and destroyed our worlds. Had it not been for her evil acts, perhaps Spock would still be with us, watching the fruits of his labor as Romulus became a world more open to the universe. Instead, he was pulled into the black hole he created while being pursued by a fellow Romulan miner named Nero...neither to be heard from again.

Two men in this day have arisen to bring about a new future for us all. D'Tan, a Romulan, has begun a new colony on the third planet in the Dewa System. Many call it _Mol'Rihan_. It is from here that he has begun his mission to create the Romulan Republic, a new faction of Romulans dedicated to peaceful coexistence with all races. Obisek, a Reman, who leads the Reman Resistance, has allied himself and his group with D'Tan so that lost Remans may also taste the sweet air of freedom that their Romulan brothers now do. Together, these two men have brought lost families, friends, and other individuals together to a place that they can now call home. Despite attacks by the Tal Shiar, their Elachi mercenaries, their elusive Iconian allies, or the new Tholian threat to this sector, we have stood strong. We have not faltered in our determination to survive and defend the ones we love from the heartless who try to rule over us again. And even with the Klingon Empire and United Federation of Planets at war once again, both factions have opened up diplomatic relations with us, and both have come to our aid, even helping each other on the rare occasion. With their help, Taris, Sela, and even the fearsome leader of the Tal Shiar, Hakeev, have been brought to justice.

My name is Taivek. I once worked with the Tal Shiar. It was a dirty business, filled with cunning, deceit, and backstabbing. After the failed coup of 2379 brought on by Shinzon, and with Remus being overmined, some of us were charged with eliminating any and all Remans we could find who remained in our space. I left once the orders were given, and I did my best to live a simpler life in everyday society. I met my love, D'Rhina, in said life. We were both off-planet when the supernova shockwave reached Romulus, myself seeking employment with the Miner's Guild, her meeting up with family elsewhere. Over the past 22 years, we have sought each other out, only having limited and broken communication with each other. There were times when it would be years between conversations...and when the Tal Shiar rose to power again, our separate colonies evacuated people as best they could during raids, no matter how much closer to or farther from each other we got. Many nights, I would bitterly weep in fear of her safety. Any given moment, she could be in an interrogation chamber...or slaving away under the brutal heel of guarded work sites. And so could I. Many times, I would frantically try to steal any spacecraft I could get my hands on – _anything_ to get closer to D'Rhina. And when I arrived at New Romulus, I immediately began searching for her, learning that D'Tan's forces were rescuing all of the lost they could find on other worlds.

And today, while on break from my citizen duties, I found her in the Vastam Peaks. She was being attacked by a Dewan Arthropod, which I rescued her from with my plasma pistol. We recognized each other after a few good looks, and the joy that surged through our hearts was immeasurable! Never before had I felt so alive since the day we admitted our feelings to each other for the first time. Thanks to the Elements, our long searches were now at an end. We swore to never let each other go, and we meant it with all of our hearts. This will be the first night we spend together in a long time...one we have both looked forward to for so long. I never was that great at romance, but then again, neither was she – if she tried too hard. Same with me. But we loved each other for all of the oddities and humorous facets we knew in the other, and by being ourselves, we were able to find the love we share. I eagerly await our night in Atlai, right by the river, in the company of the adorable Epohhs and Nanovs. Tonight will surely be a night to remember...

**Yes, part of this is based on my relationship with Rebekah...after her mom and my parents finding out about our relationship, and forbidding us to talk, we kept our relationship a secret for many months after. But then her younger sister, a former ally of ours, decided to turn her back on us out of fear and guilt. And in order to neutralize the threat, and be able to work in having her mom allow us to talk again, we stopped real-time communication so that her grief and stress would become more realistic in her appeals with her counselor on our side. And I eagerly long for the day when all of our current difficulties will mean nothing...**

**Read on for the date (or Romulan equivalent) our two lovers go on on the night of their reunification.**


	2. The Beauty of Reunion

Chapter 2: The Beauty of Reunion

**Well, here's the next chapter. It certainly does feel good to write again, especially at writing out romantic scenes, being the big ol' softie that I am...**

The night was warm. There were few to no breezes in the Atlai, and few creatures stirred, save the occasional nanov or epohh. I walked over the hills to see D'Rhina waiting for me, her bare feet outstretched in the water. I walked over to her, sitting down beside her. _"Jolan Tru"_, I said. She didn't turn to look at me until after closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath of clean air. _"Y'hhau"_, she replied informally. We both still had difficulty believing that any of this was true. For the last two decades, we'd hardly known anything constant except for the fear of persecution and death at the hands of the Tal Shiar. And even here, on _Mol'Rihan_, the dangers of the Tal Shiar, their Elachi mercenaries, or the Tholians that have begun exploring the Ancient Ruins persist. Fortunately, we both lived closer to the Staging Area than some of the others, who had begun their own scientific expeditions into the wilderness. She moved up out of the water, wrapping her arms warmly around me for a loving embrace, which I returned gratefully.

We were both in tears, our hearts overflowing with joy at the first moment of genuine serenity we'd felt in years, just being together. Nothing fancy or ornate, really. Just a night spent together by the river. And yet the beauty of its simplicity was more than enough for us two reunited lovers. "Good evening...my beloved", she finally responded. "The same to you, my love." After we parted, I removed my boots and stretched my feet into the water, which she soon mimicked thereafter.

"22 years...", I began calmly, still sniffling, "...and I could never once forget you. I never sought out anyone else, nor did I let anyone enter my heart as deeply as you had."

"Many people told me...to forget about you..." she responded, "...that it was foolish to pursue what couldn't be regained...and that you were not much better than our lost world...good while it existed, but no longer to be had..."

I took a deep breath before responding. "I was told similar things. And they hurt me deeply. None of them knew what could be special about a relationship that existed even when the lovers are apart, not bound by marriage. They said it couldn't happen, and that there was no way to know someone if you did not fellowship with them in person...But they were wrong."

I laid back in the grass, calmly gazing at the stars. She hovered over me, lying on her side to look at me. Her hand met my face, stroking my cheeks with her thumb. "We're a precious rarity, _e'lev_", she said, breaking the silence. "We're probably not the first ones to stay together while far apart...but I dare say we're the best couple to have done so."

Laughing to myself, I asked "What makes you say that?"

"The fact that not even the destruction of our home and almost everything that we know could stop us. The terror of the Tal Shiar couldn't hurt us. And not even the dangers of the unknown have kept us apart."

"D'Rhina?"

"Yes, Taivek?"

"_Jol-ao au"_, I said, smiling.

"I love you, too..." she returned, moving down and planting her lips on mine.

We kissed with a gentle passion, the energy of the Elements themselves surged through us, and we felt as when the world was young for us. We never wanted to part company during a moment like this one, where time itself slowed to a near-halt, making all in nature soften and quiet itself for the beautiful lovers spending time in it. We ran a hand through each other's hair, feeling the warmth and safety of each other's affectionate, selfless, and genuine companionship. Unlike how most _Rihannsu_ women had short hair like ours, she had let hers grow out flowingly. Mine was a bit longer than usual, but not much different than I once kept it. All the better to run our hands through, really. We parted, breathing heavily, almost gasping, while our hearts raced. When she put her hand on my chest, as I always loved it when she did, I felt a large smile come to my face. I was the happiest man alive...and the most blessed...

She decided to rest her head on my chest, so I took my feet out of the water and bent my knees skyward, enjoying the playful position we had just reached.

"The grass is soft..." I said sheepishly.

"And kali-fal is blue", she said sarcastically.

I laughed softly, the warm memories returning. "I always relished your oddness, D'Rhina...it's a trait I feel isn't in enough of our people."

"I agree. So...I've got nowhere to go. I told you many years ago that I lost my family to rogue Remans. Would you...mind if I follow you...the rest of my days?"

I smiled. "I would love that..."

"So would I..." She winked right back at me.

"I hear D'Tan and Obisek are great at making people happy during our weddings here. Obisek may be a hardened man, but deep down, he's a bighearted Reman with a heart as valuable as a Ferengi's latinum."

I wrapped the arm under her around her stomach. She paused to smile, continuing, "If there's one thing I've known from day one of our relationship...it's that through distance and trial, we have not only been made strong, but we have grown close. We had to in order to survive."

I chimed in, saying "It's an interesting irony...being far apart made us grow closer."

"We had to have as strong of ties as possible to stay together in our hearts. And in all honesty...I would do anything to strengthen our bonds", she replied.

"Will you marry me?" I asked.

She lightly gasped, her heart now racing faster than even what was normal for _Rihannsu_. She hugged me tightly, crying again, saying "Yes...I will..." I hugged her back with equal gentle firmness. At that moment, two epohhs came around, appearing to be beginning a mating ritual.

"That's going to be us in a few days..." she laughed, still choked up by tears.

We both kept laughing, enjoying every minute spent together. The hours passed, and we continued in our playful, almost childlike intimacy. As we calmed down, I was holding and caressing her feet, something she knew me to be fond of, and was herself fond of me doing.

"Do you ever wonder what other races do? And find attractive about each other's bodies?" she asked in her usual inquisitiveness.

"Hmm...it is curious, isn't it? Makes me wonder what other people in the universe do for each other like this...This tenderness seems more fit for humans than it does for us."

"Perhaps there is a human out there who is fond of his _e'lev's_ feet, and she enjoys the attention just as much?" she stated speculatively.

"Maybe", I said with a smile.

We both laughed at the thought, and enjoyed the rest of the beautiful night in the Atlai together...one filled with beautiful intimacy and the long-awaited sense of belonging we had searched for for so long...

**== The End! ==**

**So yeah, I'm sure it was clear, I have a thing for Rebekah's feet. But she loves the attention just as much. I had to throw that little bit in there to add a final touch on our relationship. We're both nerdy, quirky, and inquisitive, and the foot fetish is just one of mine. We both share the random speculation over every possible topic under the sun, and believe me, it always makes for some interesting conversation. xP**

**Well, it certainly was good to write again, and I'll try my best to keep the creative juices flowing so I can continue my _Phineas and Ferb_ fanfic-on-hiatus, _Compare and Contrast_.**

**Rebekah, my love, I hope you enjoyed this story, as well as the drawing gifts I did for you. May we soon find each other on _Mol'Rihan_ – a New Romulus, a symbol of hope. I will not stop fighting until we are in each other's arms, protected and recognized by marriage. 3**


End file.
